Epkere
Three days have passed
Enough for the Christ to rise
Three full days.
I counted as I came to you
Right inside these ekperes
But three days are like one
Trinity for fufu
You are so fresh,
Echieh but fresh
And between my palms
I feel you soft yet firm
The soup is hot
Steaming right here
Three full days
All fufu days
In Manyu division in the Southwest province of Cameroon, women crafted traditional dishes for eating called “Epkere”. These were made out of gourds. These were sometimes elaborately decorated with white chalk and engravings Pounded fufu could stay fresh in these “ekperes” for days. In fact for those who are old enough to recall, there’s still nostalgia for overnight fufu and ogbono soup which is a staple in this region. There was also a special type of ekpere shaped like a chalice called an “Asoreh”. This was a special soup dish for the father of the house. Each wife decorated her husbands Asoreh richly. After a husband’s death the breaking of the Asoreh by the “Ebhongu”, an Ekpe masquerade became the symbolic separation of the living from the dead. It marked the end of the intimate relationship between husband and wife and she was now deemed ready for a new sexual relationship.
Joyce Ashutantang is an actress, screenwriter and filmmaker. She is currently Professor of English and African Literature at the University of Connecticut, Storrs/Hartford, USA.
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